James Franco Spends Christmas With Family After 'The Interview' Debuts Online

— -- James Franco was thrilled when "The Interview" was released on Tuesday, and then was able to spend time with his family.

The actor, who stars in the controversial Sony film, posted a photo on Instagram on Christmas, wishing his fans a happy holiday.

"Merry Christmas! From the Coppola-Franco family!" he wrote, along with a family photo.

It's been a long couple of weeks for Franco, 36, whose movie was shelved by Sony Pictures Entertainment following a cyber attack and threats against theaters that planned to screen the comedy. The production company announced Wednesday that the film would be released through various streaming services.

Just after midnight this morning, Seth Rogen, who co-wrote and co-directed the film with Evan Goldberg, attended a screening of the movie in L.A.

"If it wasn’t for theaters like this and for people like you guys, this literally would not be f****** happening right now,” Rogen told the crowd. "Thank you so f****** much for coming."